Books
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Metro Detroit Author Jason A. Michael Sets Sail With Gay Cruise Novel 'Fairies at Sea'
Detroit author and retired Pride Source contributor Jason A. Michael is signing copies of his new novel, "Fairies at Sea," on Wednesday, Oct. 21, from [...]Read more about Metro Detroit Author Jason A. Michael Sets Sail With Gay Cruise Novel 'Fairies at Sea'
'Black Summers' Turns Detroit Summers Into Stories of Black Queer Joy
Summer is more than a season in “Black Summers: Growing Up in the Urban Outdoors," published recently by Wayne State University Press. Among the [...]Read more about 'Black Summers' Turns Detroit Summers Into Stories of Black Queer Joy
Chuck Tingle's 'Bury Your Gays' Gets the Big Gay Read Treatment For 2026
The Ann Arbor District Library's sixth annual Big Gay Read is diving into "Bury Your Gays," a darkly funny horror novel by masked author Chuck [...]Read more about Chuck Tingle's 'Bury Your Gays' Gets the Big Gay Read Treatment For 2026
2026 Pride Reads for Every Shelf
The challenges of the current political era have inspired a strong wave of LGBTQ+ titles across every genre and age range, and our editors have been reading. [...]Read more about 2026 Pride Reads for Every Shelf
Bestselling Author and Delightful Weirdo Chuck Tingle on Proving Love in a Difficult Era
Pride Source spoke with Tingle ahead of his June 6 appearance at Ann Arbor District Library.Chuck Tingle has "love is real" scrawled across the top of [...]Read more about Bestselling Author and Delightful Weirdo Chuck Tingle on Proving Love in a Difficult Era
Featured coverage of Books
From Fear to Freedom: Da Brat and Jesseca ‘Judy’ Harris-Dupart on Coming Out and Hidden Baggage
Six years after Da Brat came out publicly in 2020 — a move that felt both terrifying and inevitable — the Grammy-nominated, Chicago-born rapper and her wife, [...]Read more about From Fear to Freedom: Da Brat and Jesseca ‘Judy’ Harris-Dupart on Coming Out and Hidden Baggage
Passing the Torch at The Gay & Lesbian Review
The year was 1993. Nearly a million people had just marched on Washington demanding LGBTQ+ rights. Don't Ask, Don't Tell would be signed into law by [...]Read more about Passing the Torch at The Gay & Lesbian Review
Cozy Up With These Queer 2025 Winter Reads
As winter settles in and the year winds down, there's no better time to curl up with a book that speaks to the complexity and beauty of queer life. This [...]Read more about Cozy Up With These Queer 2025 Winter Reads
Why This Detroit Therapist Is Reclaiming 'Slut' in New Book on Sexual Shame
For five years, Natasha Wilson thought about fonts. About the perfect "s" for "slut." About how a single letter could carry the weight of [...]Read more about Why This Detroit Therapist Is Reclaiming 'Slut' in New Book on Sexual Shame
Lukas Gage Wants You to Know the Messy Parts
In a cultural moment where vulnerability is often curated and identity is endlessly scrutinized, Lukas Gage is choosing something braver: pure honesty. In his [...]Read more about Lukas Gage Wants You to Know the Messy Parts
Michigan Dad Champions Daughter's Queer Debut Novel
The email from Larry Peplin landed in Pride Source's inbox with fatherly pride. His queer daughter Erica had just published her debut novel, "Work [...]Read more about Michigan Dad Champions Daughter's Queer Debut Novel
All Books stories
Saddle Up For Anti-Fascist Librarians In Ann Arbor District Library's 2025 Big Gay Read
The Ann Arbor District Library's fifth annual Big Gay Read brings together readers across Southeast Michigan for a month of community engagement around [...]Read more about Saddle Up For Anti-Fascist Librarians In Ann Arbor District Library's 2025 Big Gay Read
Essential LGBTQ+ Reads for Pride Month: A Literary Celebration of Queer Identity and Resilience
As Pride Month unfolds, Pride Source celebrates the voices, stories and icons that illuminate the rich tapestry of queer experiences. This curated selection [...]Read more about Essential LGBTQ+ Reads for Pride Month: A Literary Celebration of Queer Identity and Resilience
Doctor Jon Paul Is Here to Help You Love Yourself in 'Black. Fat. Femme.'
Jon Paul Higgins, Ed.D, is an educator, cultural critic, social justice leader — and now, an author. If you've spent any time on queer social media in the [...]Read more about Doctor Jon Paul Is Here to Help You Love Yourself in 'Black. Fat. Femme.'
How Tech Can Empower Trans Communities: This Michigan Author Explores the Possibilities
Transgender Day of Visibility is a complex topic for Oliver Haimson. On one hand, he says he loves finding and leaning on community, especially through [...]Read more about How Tech Can Empower Trans Communities: This Michigan Author Explores the Possibilities
Winter Reads to Help You Ride Out the Chill
It’s cold out there, and not just because of the weather — we’re officially in another Trump era. Bearing the frigid temps outside and the chill of our current [...]Read more about Winter Reads to Help You Ride Out the Chill
Journalist Nico Lang Wields the Power of Storytelling with ‘American Teenager’
Los Angeles-based writer Nico Lang is fiercely protective of the families they portray in their upcoming book “American Teenager,” and for good reason. As of [...]Read more about Journalist Nico Lang Wields the Power of Storytelling with ‘American Teenager’
Samantha Irby Is ‘Dying’ (of Appreciation) About Being the Subject of Ann Arbor Library’s Big Gay Read
I’m somehow 30 minutes late calling Samantha Irby, despite all the careful planning and near-stalker behavior I engaged in to get her on my calendar. Months of [...]Read more about Samantha Irby Is ‘Dying’ (of Appreciation) About Being the Subject of Ann Arbor Library’s Big Gay Read
Summer Books That’ll Have You Feeling a Sense of Pride
Embrace the vibrant spectrum of LGBTQ+ experiences this Pride Month with our curated list of enlightening reads for readers of all ages. From stirring memoirs [...]Read more about Summer Books That’ll Have You Feeling a Sense of Pride
Immerse Yourself in the Samantha Irby Experience with Ann Arbor District Library’s Big Gay Read
You could think of Ann Arbor District Library’s upcoming Big Gay Read as a community book club on steroids. Like a traditional book club, participants will read [...]Read more about Immerse Yourself in the Samantha Irby Experience with Ann Arbor District Library’s Big Gay Read
Nigerian Author Chukwuebuka Ibeh on Finding ‘Blessings’ in a Country Where Same-Sex Marriage (and Homosexuality) Is Outlawed
African novelist Chukwuebuka Ibeh tells the story of a queer boy struggling to define himself while seeking out affirmations in post-military Nigeria in his [...]Read more about Nigerian Author Chukwuebuka Ibeh on Finding ‘Blessings’ in a Country Where Same-Sex Marriage (and Homosexuality) Is Outlawed
Why a Local Academic Is Fostering Queer Discussion and Community Through an Old-Fashioned Book Club
Queer books on public library shelves have come under fire across the country in recent years, but you wouldn’t know it at the Ypsilanti District Library (YDL), [...]Read more about Why a Local Academic Is Fostering Queer Discussion and Community Through an Old-Fashioned Book Club
‘Queer Drunk Punk’ Author Zehava Frieman on How Growing Up in Grosse Pointe Park Inspired Her Debut Novel
When Zehava Frieman finally sat down to write “Queer Drunk Punk” in 2021 on the tail end of decades of what she describes as “creative constipation,” the debut [...]Read more about ‘Queer Drunk Punk’ Author Zehava Frieman on How Growing Up in Grosse Pointe Park Inspired Her Debut Novel
6 Picture-Book Biographies of Black LGBTQ+ Americans
In honor of Black History Month — but best read all year round — here are some of my favorite recent children’s biographies of famous Black LGBTQ+ [...]Read more about 6 Picture-Book Biographies of Black LGBTQ+ Americans
Black Trans Activist Raquel Willis on Why Stories Like Hers Need to Be Heard
When Raquel Willis took the stage at the National Women’s March in Washington, D.C. the day after Trump's inauguration in January 2017, with beaming [...]Read more about Black Trans Activist Raquel Willis on Why Stories Like Hers Need to Be Heard
Fall into a Book: LGBTQ+ Books You'll Want to Add to Your Shelf This Season
We are celebrating queer stories, queer icons and queer authors during National Book Month, a time to honor the importance of reading, writing and literature.
Detroit’s Chinatown Has Vanished, But This Queer Writer Keeps the Memories Alive in New Memoir
In “Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant,” author Curtis Chin describes coming of age in Detroit’s Cass Corridor Chinatown neighborhood. In [...]Read more about Detroit’s Chinatown Has Vanished, But This Queer Writer Keeps the Memories Alive in New Memoir
A Trans Champion, In Her Own Words: Amy Schneider Talks Post-'Jeopardy!' Fame, Activism and Book Bans
She became a trivia darling in recent years. Now, in a new memoir, she’s revealing who she is beyond TV.
10 LGBTQ-Inclusive Picture Books For Kids You May Have Missed
Here are 10 picture books you may have missed because the queer inclusion isn’t evident from the cover or title.
Chasten Buttigieg and Book Reviewer Battle It Out in War of Words
"Leave my kids out of it," Buttigieg tells queer writer Yasmin Nair
His World Caught Fire, But Willie Carver Won’t Stop Advocating for Queer Students Everywhere
When Willie Carver finished his first book of poetry, he landed on the perfect title — or so he thought. Carver’s chosen title came from an Appalachian proverb:
Do We Still Need Gay Bars? This Author’s Book Tackles Why They’re Dying — and Why We Shouldn’t Let Them
When The Woodward caught fire and subsequently closed in 2022, Metro Detroit lost not only a central gathering place for LGBTQ+ residents, but a crucial site of [...]Read more about Do We Still Need Gay Bars? This Author’s Book Tackles Why They’re Dying — and Why We Shouldn’t Let Them
Queer Kalamazoo Author Samantha Irby Will Never Give Up on Her Best Pal, TV
As I tore through a used library copy of Samantha Irby’s 2017 bestselling collection of essays, “We Are Never Meeting in Real Life,” in one sitting, I felt a [...]Read more about Queer Kalamazoo Author Samantha Irby Will Never Give Up on Her Best Pal, TV
Where the Past Meets the Present: Capturing Pride 40 Years Ago
Are we capturing history every day without even knowing it? Forty years ago, photographer Nicholas Blair wasn’t intentionally immortalizing a specific era of [...]Read more about Where the Past Meets the Present: Capturing Pride 40 Years Ago
LGBTQ+ Books Are Being Attacked, But Many Are Still Being Published. Here Are 15 New Queer Titles.
In an era when books by or about LGBTQ+ people are being taken off library shelves and banned in grade schools, there’s never been a more important time to [...]Read more about LGBTQ+ Books Are Being Attacked, But Many Are Still Being Published. Here Are 15 New Queer Titles.
A Michigan Social Justice Warrior Fighting The Good Fight with an Unlikely Weapon: Quilt Making
A handmade quilt might bring to mind a bygone era in American history — a time when handicrafts like quilting were the norm and long before progressive ideas [...]Read more about A Michigan Social Justice Warrior Fighting The Good Fight with an Unlikely Weapon: Quilt Making
Is #MeToo Lacking a Queer, Racially Diverse Focus? These Essayists Say Yes.
The #MeToo era was a turning point in a larger, much-needed conversation about consent, but a new book is challenging some of the basic assumptions around that [...]Read more about Is #MeToo Lacking a Queer, Racially Diverse Focus? These Essayists Say Yes.
The Trans Comic Artist Changing Minds One Panel at a Time
Sophie Labelle has been drawing comics ever since she was a kid. As a young trans activist and student at the Université du Québec à Montréal, she wanted to [...]Read more about The Trans Comic Artist Changing Minds One Panel at a Time
Warm Up With These LGBTQ+ Winter Reads By (Mostly) Michigan Authors
Michigan gets a bad rap when it comes to winter weather. Yeah, you might lose a hubcap trying to maneuver around Volvo-sized potholes (and yeah, it’s going to [...]Read more about Warm Up With These LGBTQ+ Winter Reads By (Mostly) Michigan Authors
